My Father's Point-Based Game

To prevent me from being jealous of my stepmother's son, my dad implemented a "family point system".

Washing dishes earned 1 point, and getting a perfect score on a test earned 10 points.

Accumulating 1000 points meant you could make a wish come true.

When my stepbrother broke a vase, Dad said it was a sign of good luck and awarded him 50 points.

When I insisted on going to school with a fever, Dad said I was trying to garner sympathy and deducted 100 points.

I scrambled to scrape together every point I could, all for that exorbitant Math Olympiad registration form.